Large truck causes highway havoc during high-speed chase in Texas

(Reuters) - A stolen tractor-trailer truck caused six accidents and closed a major interstate in Arlington, Texas for hours as it weaved in and out of traffic in a high-speed chase on Friday afternoon, police and media said.

The chase on the busy Interstate 30 ended in a fiery crash after covering about 17 miles from downtown Fort Worth to Arlington, police said.

The truck driver, who had reached speeds of 100 mph (161 kph), was arrested after police determined he was not armed, having held back for two hours fearing he had a weapon.

A man who had to kick out a window as a fire began to engulf his car after it was struck by the truck was taken to a hospital for injuries that were not life-threatening, Brad Perez, a Fort Worth police spokesman, said.

About a dozen others sustained minor injuries, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram newspaper reported, adding that the 18-wheeler had been stolen.

Fort Worth police said the driver was speeding when a traffic officer gave chase near the city's downtown. The truck crashed into another vehicle and a retaining wall in Arlington.

The driver was not belligerent with police, but was acting erratically when confronted by officers, police told reporters.